Several people have written about
tragic experiences with scarring associated with black salve
use..

While some scarring may be related
to the particular product used, there are some other possibilities
that I would like to propose, purely as speculation.

First, the pictures I have studied with respect
to scarring suggest that the area that actually scars is
not identical to where the paste was applied.

Second, some people use the pastes without
any reaction whatsoeversuggesting that the reaction,
however mild or strong, is more related to the pathology
than the chemical constituents of the paste.

Third, those with infection seem to scar
much more than those who are either free of infection or
who manage the treatment in a hygienic manner.

I will post one set of pictures
to depict this phenomenon clearly. Here, a breast tumor was
treated using a black salve that was applied in a circular
area. However, the scar following treatment was linear, completely
so.

Difficult as this
is to imagine, these photos really do belong to the same
individual and really were taken of the same site

(1) during the process

(2) after the process
(approximately one month)

I have other photos in my possession
that indicate similar reactions, including those of Janis (see
the questions and answers)
and some others. The scarring issue is therefore somewhat mysterious
and possibly not exactly related to the actual placement of
the paste (which was bloodroot in the above instance as well
as that of Janis.) My hunch is that the scarring is somehow
related to the condition of the blood because the scar seems
to form over arteries rather than where the paste was placed on the skin.

To deal with scarring, turmeric can
be added to the actual product used for treatment. It can also
be taken internally.
There are other "solutions" that
have been tried by some persons. These vary from homeopathic
remedies intended for such purposes, post-treatment plastic
surgery (such as described by physicians in the early part
of this century), and laser removal (as described by someone
who used a black salve on her son.) Some of these solutions
are radical. Some say that internal use of red clover
reduces scarring. This is the main herb in the Hoxsey
tonic, which we produce under the name of Sundance
Elixir.

Again, it is speculative, but
some practitioners, such as Hoxsey or the successor to his
work, Mildred Nelson, advise use of an internal tonic for some
months prior to commencing escharotic use. These tonics are
milder in action and should perhaps be used in conjunction
with the escharotics, but they have often been used independently
of the pastes and salves. This option may not be available
for those with no time to spare, for those whose tumors have
already ulcerated, or for those who have started on a program
and need to continue with it without interruption.

Please take a look at the photomicrographs of
the blood of a patient using scrophularia syrup.

Dr. John Christopher believed that skin
cancers are the outer manifestation of inner conditions  that
when exposed to the sun, ripen and come to the surface. My
experience with such conditions is that the blood is "corrupt" (a
term used historically in reference to toxic conditions affecting
the blood.) Many believed that no cancer
could be cured without first addressing the blood. There
is one practitioner using a bloodroot paste with persons
who were exposed to agent orange while posted in Vietnam.
If he gives bloodroot internally, the skin erupts, apparently
driving a deeper condition to the surface. The skin is then
the escape route for the internal conditions. There is an
utter randomness to this process as it is not possible to
predict where the eruption will occur. Moreover,
as morbid material builds up on the surface, it is not known
whether other parts of the body are becoming less toxic or
less malignant.

These are questions without answers.
However, again speculating, it is possible that just as a
tumor, the primary tumor, begins in a certain tissue from
which it may metastasize, so an ulceration, induced by an
escharotic or occurring naturally, may be a release mechanism
that when properly treated draws morbid matter from throughout
the body to the designated exit, perhaps reversing the spread
that was occurring prior to creating the exit point.

Warning:though
there may be some merit to these speculations, they are
without proof; moreover, bizarre physiological developments
should not become a basis for complacency
when a condition appears to be worsening.

There is, however, enough evidence of more
than is generally accepted in conventional cancer treatment
to want to cover more bases when dealing with a malignancy.

P.S.: Since this page was first written,
we have developed a cream for post-escharotic use called
Feathered
Turtle.

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